The present invention relates to a method of rebonding two layers of fabric. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of repairing an insulation blanket in which a metallized fabric layer has become disbonded from an underlying fabric layer.
Insulation blankets are commonly used in various parts of a gas turbine engine for thermal protection. The insulation blanket may be formed from layers of ceramic fabric and other insulative materials. A metallized fabric layer may commonly be used as an outer layer of the insulation blanket to protect the underlying insulative materials. However, over time, the metallized fabric layer may become disbanded from an underlying layer due to adhesive fatigue caused by pressure and temperature changes during operation of the engine.
In some cases, a detached area of the metallized fabric layer may be small enough that the fabric layer may be reattached directly to the underlying layer using known repair techniques, such as applying an adhesive to the detached area and curing the repair area. However, in some cases, the detached area may be so large that these repair techniques are not feasible, given that a certain percentage of the metallized fabric layer may need to remain unattached from the underlying layer. (This limitation is based on a potential need to maintain a porous barrier that air may flow through.) Alternatively, replacing the insulation blanket is expensive.
There is a need for a method of repairing an insulation blanket in those situations in which a large portion of the metallized fabric layer has become disbanded from the underlying ceramic fabric.